Alpha by Jackie Eckles (but I don’t see it available for sale right now)

I’ll show you how to create the really cute scalloped frame around these photos. Normally I don’t recommend creating much digital product. There is just TOO MUCH great stuff to be had in the digital world. But this is so quick, so easy, so cute, and SUCH a good complement to so many layout designs, I couldn’t resist. :)

Here goes!

1. Open a new blank layout, 12x12, 300 dpi, transparent background.

2. If you want your design like mine, find three photos and a little journaling card for the fourth block.

3. Arrange them like so. You can place a patterned paper in the background, to see the effect a little better.

4. Create a new layer and position it below your photo block in the Layers palette.

5. Type “d” to return your foreground and background colors to their defaults, and “x” to switch so you have a white foreground and black background.

5. Now for the good stuff. Select your brush tool (b).

6. In the Options Bar at the top of your screen, select a hard round brush. These are typically the default brushes, so you might need to click the menu button in the dropdown selector and choose Reset Brushes from the flyout menu.

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7. In the Size slider in the Options Bar, slide your brush size to something like 70 or 80.

8. In the Options Bar, click on the button that says “More” or “More Options”.

9. Move the Spacing slider to 100%. This is the key part of the look we’ll be getting. :)

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NOTE: If you are using Photoshop CS, CS2, or CS3, you’ll need to adjust the spacing using the Brush Options tab in the Brush palette.

Go to Window > Brushes.

In the left panel, click on Brush Tip Shape

At the bottom of the right panel, slide the Spacing slider to 100%

10. Position your cursor just over the top left corner of your left-hand photo.

11. Hold down the Shift key while you click and drag a straight line of dots all the way to the top right corner of your right-hand photo.

12. Release your mouse.

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13. Now click down onto that final dot you drew, and hold down the Shift key while you drag a line of dots downward to the bottom right corner of your photo block (mine is hidden by my journaling block).

14. Repeat for the last two sides.

15. Now you can select your Paint Bucket tool and click inside of your dot-edged rectangle to create a scalloped frame.